I was on a bus from Croydon to Heathrow Airport (UK) on Wednesday morning and a man got on wearing an astronaut's helmet. He wasn't wearing a full suit, just the helmet, with a long black overcoat. I got off before him, so I didn't see if he was going all the way to the airport.

"Why not take what seems to me the only chance of escaping what is otherwise the sure destruction"

Posted 15 March 2013 - 04:47 PM

Xeaphon, on 15 March 2013 - 04:40 PM, said:

I was on a bus from Croydon to Heathrow Airport (UK) on Wednesday morning and a man got on wearing an astronaut's helmet. He wasn't wearing a full suit, just the helmet, with a long black overcoat. I got off before him, so I didn't see if he was going all the way to the airport.

I was on a bus from Croydon to Heathrow Airport (UK) on Wednesday morning and a man got on wearing an astronaut's helmet. He wasn't wearing a full suit, just the helmet, with a long black overcoat. I got off before him, so I didn't see if he was going all the way to the airport.

How weird!

Tesla II, on 15 March 2013 - 04:46 PM, said:

Black Ops Hazmat space training.. .

Anyway must have been quite a shock for a normal routine too encounter this space guys.. Did the suits look like hazmat or space ?

I could have sworn they were space suits, If I saw footage of astronauts in space wearing those suits I wouldn't even take a second glance.

spud the mackem, on 15 March 2013 - 05:18 PM, said:

Wow,maybe they were not "men", did you see their faces or were the sun-visors down.

The reflective visors were down, although I'm positive they were people. Just doesn't explain the uneasiness before it all happened.

"Why not take what seems to me the only chance of escaping what is otherwise the sure destruction"

Posted 16 March 2013 - 12:23 PM

marboo, on 16 March 2013 - 03:19 AM, said:

The reflective visors were down, although I'm positive they were people. Just doesn't explain the uneasiness before it all happened.

Very weird and interesting... you should come back and look around or mabye spy abit on what they were doing. That uneasy effect might originate in something they were doing, still i find it even more werid that there wasnt any security.

If these were completely self contained suits, having the breathing apparatus within, then this was a fairly high level hazmat incident. Yet, what the OP has described seems inconsistent with incident management where responders would be using level one protection. Typically, a high level hazmat incident is very carefully controlled and would be cordoned off, for example, concentric rings with the "hotest" area in the center eventually followed by a well defined decontamination area for the response team. What then comes to mind is perhaps some sort of informal training. Perhaps, because level one personal protection is so uncomfortable and awkward in use, the team was simply getting some practice donning and doffing equipment in a realistic setting. But, this is indeed a curious event from the perspective of hazardous materials handling.

My first thought was that you drove past them filming one of those "aliens make friends with humans" kids shows we get from time to time filmed here.

I must not fear. Fear is the Mind-Killer. It is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and to move through me. And when it is gone I will turn the inner eye to see it's path.
When the fear is gone, there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.